Phytotechnology

As part of Argonne’s mission to help pave the way to a secure nation with a plentiful supply of safe, sustainable energy and a healthy environment, active research is occurring in the area of phytotechnology—methods of using plants to remediate or contain contaminants in soil, groundwater, surface water or sediments. For example, trees, which are bioenergy crops, may be planted near a polluted waterway because root systems will remove contaminants as they draw up water for plant growth and therefore mitigate non-point source water pollution.